FA must get West Ham case right after making real mess of Eni Aluko

Controversy | Former West Ham striker Diafra Sakho was cited by Tony Henry as someone who ‘caused mayhem’ at the club
West Ham United via Getty Images
Tony Evans2 February 2018

Own goals come in many forms. West Ham scored a spectacular, gruesome one this week.

The crisis over Tony Henry’s email message to an unnamed agent reportedly stating that the club did not want to sign African players cannot be contained by suspending the director of player recruitment.

He allegedly told the Daily Mail this was because “they have a bad attitude” and “cause mayhem”.

West Ham released a statement saying that they will “not tolerate any type of discrimination” once the Daily Mail made the details of the missive public.

Unfortunately, the fact that a so-far anonymous club official was copied into the communication undermines that stance.

Henry holds a very senior position at the London Stadium. If the person in the email is a subordinate, then West Ham can perhaps blame the situation on one man. If it is someone above Henry in the hierarchy then the club have real problems.

The FA have to investigate the case thoroughly. The ruling body have the power to request the email exchange under rule F2. They need to get this right. The spectre of institutional racism has troubled the FA. They made a mess of the Eni Aluko case and only last month issued a series of initiatives aimed at dragging the game into the modern age. Inclusivity and confronting deep-seated prejudices were at the top of the agenda.

The West Ham case will give an early indication of the FA’s resolve. Apologists will claim this is not about racial stereotyping. Henry even said “it’s nothing against the African race” glibly attempting to dismiss the severity of the situation. It is worth thinking about this comment, perhaps the most damning of the entire situation.

Who comprises the “African race”? How much commonality can there be on a land mass of 1.2 billion people? Would, for example, Mark Fish, who spent five years at Charlton Athletic in the 2000s, have fallen into Henry’s catch-all description?

From white South Africans like Fish to Egyptians like Mo Salah, the continent produces a huge range of cultures and characters.

The subject of Henry’s email was a Cameroonian player. Diafra Sakho was cited as one of the examples of someone who caused “mayhem”.

Sakho is Senegalese. The distance between the two nations’ capitals is more than 2,000 miles.

Football is awash with stories of players who become unhappy when they are not in the team and cause problems on the training pitch and dressing room. Angry, resentful squad members come from all backgrounds. Disruptive behaviour does not come with a colour code.

It is one of the reasons there are managers — to keep a group of young men in line and pulling for a common cause. It is not an easy role when players are unsettled.

David Moyes’s job has just been made more difficult. It would be impossible for the six members of the squad with African backgrounds not to raise an eyebrow at events.

Cheikhou Kouyate took to social media to write “African and proud”. Arthur Masuaku and Pedro Obiang liked the post. It is a controversy that the club could do without.

The only way forward for West Ham and the FA is complete transparency. That may be a painful experience at the London Stadium. If there was even tacit acceptance of Henry’s mindset at boardroom level there needs to be significant changes in the way the club is run. The FA have to illustrate that their mission statements about inclusiveness and fairness last month are backed by real purpose.

The issue is much too important to be swept under the carpet.

This is mayhem of West Ham’s own making. The entire game needs to be shown it is unacceptable.

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